


Four times

by CreativeSparks



Category: Frankie "Catfish" Morales - Fandom, Pedro Pascal - Fandom, Triple Frontier (2019), frankie morales - Fandom, triple frontier - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:34:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26394226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CreativeSparks/pseuds/CreativeSparks
Summary: Four points in your relationship with Frankie.
Relationships: Francisco "Catfish" Morales & Reader, Francisco "Catfish" Morales/You, Frankie Morales/You, frankie morales/reader
Comments: 7
Kudos: 35





	1. First meeting

He’s the first thing your mom mentions the second you walk through the door.

“Pauletta has a man over this weekend. He’s sort of handsome but a bit on the quiet side.”

You start to unpack the cool box as your mom chops carrots at an alarming rate.

“Where do you want all this food?” you ask, piling it on the kitchen counter. “I’ve probably gone a bit overboard, but you can always freeze what we don’t use.”

She stops chopping and looks over at you.

“Did you hear me? He’s building some sort of shed.” She resumes chopping as you turn to face her, confused.

“Who is building a what?”

Your mom sighs as if she’s told you this before.

“The man next door. Not sure who he is, but he woke your father and I up this morning parking what sounded like a tank in next door’s driveway,” she explains as you lean against the counter next to her. “Your father said good morning to him when he went out to walk Bruno, said he was very polite but none the wiser as to what he was doing. Wasn’t until I was hanging out the washing later that I saw him start on the shed. Like I said, handsome but keeps to himself.”

You start to munch on a carrot slice. “Sounds intriguing.”

Your mom waves the knife in your direction. “You should talk to him.”

“Why?” you scoff. “I don’t have a garden, why would I need a shed built?”

She rolls her eyes. You knew what was coming. 

“Not to build you a shed,” she says slowly. “Though you should see the state of ours, I hope that your father takes the hint to do something about that…”

It was your turn to roll your eyes. “Mom…”

“I just meant, he’s around your age and like I said, quite handsome, and you are always telling me you haven’t been on a date in a while. You could do worse!”

There we go.

“Based on what, the fact you could get a new shed built out of it?” 

She goes to say something else.

“I swear if you tell me he’s handsome again…”

She mimes zipping her lips shut.

“Fine! Not another word! I just want you to be happy,” as she starts work on the rest of the carrots.

You feel bad for snapping. It wasn’t your fault that the last guy you dated turned out to be a complete ass and had put you off dating seriously. And you weren’t going to tell your mom about the guy from school you had bumped into a few weeks ago and had been seeing occasionally. It was definitely just sex, not dating, which had been made perfectly clear when he looked terrified that you might invite him to your parents’ BBQ this afternoon. Message received, not interested in small talk with your family over a burnt sausage. 

“Sorry, mom,” you shrug. “I just don’t need you to find me a boyfriend.” You sneak one more slice of carrot. “And I am happy, please don’t worry about me.”

Your mom smiles at you. “Well, in that case, go and see what your father’s doing, he said he could manage the BBQ on his own but I have my doubts.”

You give her a kiss on the cheek and head for the back door, hearing her complain about the amount of food you’ve brought as you leave the kitchen.

You step outside and roll your eyes at the “tank” parked in next door’s driveway. It was a slightly shabby truck, though you can imagine your mom not being impressed. Suddenly you were aware of the man unloading pieces of timber from the bed of the truck. 

Damn, he is very handsome.

“Hey, you must be the guy building the shed next door,” you say before you can think about what you are doing, “You got my parents gossiping.”

He stares at you, clearly confused.

“Erm, ok.”

You’re not sure if you should just leave it at that but decide to introduce yourself. 

“My parents noticed you building the shed for Mrs Morales. If you’re not careful they might ask you to build them one.”

He smiles softly.

“I’m Frankie, Pauletta’s my aunt. She’s been going on about a new shed for her gardening equipment for a while. Thought I’d finally take the hint.”

You hear a knocking at the kitchen window and turn to see your mom gesturing about something.

“Sorry, I should see what that’s about,” You turn back to Frankie. “She’s probably run out of carrots or something.”

He nods at you awkwardly as he picks up some more timber from the truck. “It was nice to meet you,”

“You too. You should pop over if you fancy a break. Your aunt too. I promise they won’t make you build a shed.”

He laughs quietly. “Thanks, I’ll keep the offer in mind.”

You say goodbye and go back into the kitchen. Your mom has a very smug look on her face.

“Told you he was handsome.”

You make a point of ignoring that, though she keeps grinning at you.

“Did you need something?”

“Only to say that you should invite him over for some food later,” she says, unwrapping a ridiculously large plate of sausages.

“Already said both he and his aunt could join us.” Your mom’s eyes light up.

“Ah, so he’s Pauletta’s nephew, well done finding that out.”

“I’m sure you could have managed it yourself. I’m going to check dad hasn’t burnt anything.”

Your mom hands you a pile of plates, and as you go outside you can’t help but glance over to next door. No sign of Frankie. You hear a car pull up in your driveway and give your aunt and uncle a wave before heading into the garden. Your dad is standing, hands on hips, focusing intently on the BBQ. 

“Hey, dad. How’s it looking?”

He gives you a big hug as you put the plates down on a nearby table.

“Almost ready for the meat!” he says proudly, before gesturing next door. “Did your mom mention Pauletta’s man next door? Building a shed apparently.”

You do your best to hide a grin. Your parents needed to get out more. 

“She did! And I even spoke to the man himself. Pauletta’s nephew. Invited them both over later if you and mom haven’t scared him off,” you joke.

“Oh, nonsense. He seems very nice. Quiet, apart from that truck he drives.”

The garden is soon full of voices as your aunt and uncle make an appearance, followed by your mom carrying plates of food. Amongst all the hugs and greetings, you discretely glance over the fence to next door a few times, but still can’t see the man your parents won’t stop talking about. It’s not until much later, when you’re taking some trash out that you spot Frankie again, packing some tools away in his truck.

“Hello again!” you say loudly, and he glances over, smiling shyly. 

“Hey, how was your BBQ?”

“Really fun! I hope we weren’t too loud,” you cringe slightly. He shakes his head.

“Nah, you’re alright, took my aunt out for dinner.”

“Oh, that’s sweet of you,”

He shrugs. “I haven’t been around a lot recently, so wanted to treat her. More than just build her a shed.” He jokes.

“Well, sounds like she’s lucky to have you,” causing him to smile again. Ok, you think, your mom failed to mention that he has a gorgeous smile.

You suddenly don’t know what else to say but are reluctant to end the conversation.

“Do you live nearby?” You hoped it sounded casual enough. And that your mom wasn’t watching from the window.

“Not far, a bit closer to the city,” he said, leaning against the truck. “I’ve been out of the country a lot so it’s nice to be nearer to family now. What about you?” 

You nod. “Recently moved into my own place in the city. I was away for a bit too, not that far but far enough. It’s nice to be close enough for dinners and stuff, you know?”

He gives you a full smile and your heart skips a beat. 

“I know it.” He finishes packing his tools away and you reluctantly turn towards the back door.

“It was nice to meet you. Again,” he grins, opening the car door.

“You too. Have fun finishing the shed!”

He groans slightly. “Don’t remind me. I’ve got another couple of days work to go on that thing.”

You laugh. “Well my parents seem very impressed. Maybe I’ll see you around.”

“I hope so,” He blushes, realising what he’s said, and you feel yourself blushing too.

“Bye Frankie.”

You wave as he starts the truck and pulls out of the driveway. Before you can open the back door, your mom sticks her head out. 

“Who were you talking to?” She did her best to make the question sound innocent enough.

You sigh loudly as you shoo her back into the kitchen, knowing you’ll never hear the end of this.


	2. Six weeks later

You don’t see Frankie again until six weeks later. 

Not that you are counting. Or have kept a close eye out for him whenever you’re at your parents on the off-chance he might be visiting his aunt. But no such luck. Next door’s shed was completed without you seeing the man in question again, and you were a little disappointed, though you try not to think too hard about why that is. You still can’t bring yourself to start properly dating again, and the no-strings-attached hook-ups with the guy you used to go to school with had stopped a few weeks ago, though you aren’t that upset. Despite only having had two very short conversations with Frankie, he keeps making an appearance in your thoughts. And just when you think you have managed to put him out of your head for good, he makes a reappearance.

“Head to your left, I see a spot by the trees!”

It’s the last outdoor cinema screening of the summer and the local park is packed. Families, couples and groups of friends are spread out on the grass, but you’ve suddenly spotted a free patch of grass. You and your friends make a beeline for it, and quickly unfold a couple of blankets on the ground. Before you can get too comfy, you stand up again.

“Ok, who wants popcorn?”

One of your friend’s gestures to the picnic basket. “Don’t we have enough?”

You grin at her. “Not enough popcorn!” 

Your friends shout out their orders as you grab your purse and weave your way through the blankets, picnic baskets and people. There’s a decent size queue already formed at the concession stand, and you glance at your watch as you join the end of it. You’ve seen La La Land quite a few times, but you don’t want to miss the opening musical number. You focus on the display board above the stand working out what three medium popcorns are going to cost you, when you’re suddenly aware of the guy in front of you glancing around. 

It’s Frankie.

You grin at him. “Hey, it’s you! Shed-building guy!” God, what is wrong with you, you think, as he raises his eyebrows.

“I mean, hi Frankie…”

He smirks at you. “Hey. Good to know that’s what you remember about me.”

Nope, you think, that’s definitely not what I remember the most about you.

“How’s things? You a big Ryan Gosling fan then?” You start to wonder if you’re ever going to say anything normal to him. 

You both move up a few places in the queue.

“Things are good,” Frankie looks a bit puzzled. “I’m not sure about the Ryan Gosling part of the question?” 

You gesture in the direction of the large screen.

“Surely you know what film is being shown? La La Land? The perfect film for the end of the summer.”

“If you say so! I haven’t seen it. My, erm, friend wanted to see it.” He looks a little awkward. “How are you? I never did see you back at your parents.”

You smile at him. Had he counted the weeks since you first met? You doubt it. “I’m really great. Pretty busy, so I haven’t been at my parents as often as I’d like. But I see the shed is complete and standing!”

“Wow, that shed really made an impression on you,” He teases. Ha, if only he knew.

“Well, I mean, I guess I don’t know that much about you. Apart from your ability to build a shed. And that you haven’t seen La La Land…” you stutter, slightly embarrassed.

“Just tell me what else you want to know,” he grins at you, and you feel yourself gazing at him, not quite sure what to say. His grin turns into a soft smile and it’s immediately one of your favourite things about him.

“NEXT, PLEASE!”

The two of you are jolted out of whatever that moment was by the impatient cry of the server. Frankie whips round and places his order at the counter. You can feel your face heating up. So much for getting him out of your head.

A large bucket of popcorn in hand, Frankie moves to the side of the queue, and you smile shyly at him.

“Careful you don’t miss the start of the film, it’s an impressive opening number, did you know that it’s a musical?”

“MA’AM, CAN I TAKE YOUR ORDER?”

You rush forward to the counter. “I’m so sorry, erm, can I have three medium popcorns, please? Salted. Thanks.”

You look back towards Frankie and beam at him. You wonder if you should you invite him and his friend to join you. I mean, it looks like he is waiting for you. 

You pay the server and struggle to pick up all three buckets of popcorn at the same time. For a second it looks like one might tip over before Frankie appears at your side to catch it.

“My hero! That would have been disastrous!” You can feel yourself start to get a little hyper, and you quickly make your way from the concession stand, Frankie following close behind you. 

“Something else you can remember about me,” Frankie smirks.

“Ha, yeah! Erm, where are you sitting?” You can feel your face heat up again but decide to take the plunge. “My friends have got a spot over there, you can join us if you want? You and your friend, I mean.”

Frankie seems to hesitate for a second. “Um, I think we’re actually pretty close to where you are.”

As you get nearer to your friends, he gestures to someone a few blankets to the right of yours. There’s a young woman sitting on a blanket waving shyly, clearly trying to catch Frankie’s eye, and you heart begins to sink.

“Oh yeah, isn’t that funny?” You attempt to laugh but it’s not very convincing. Frankie stops suddenly and turns to you. 

“That’s Sarah, she’s a friend of a friend. Actually, it’s kind of a date?” He’s almost apologetic, which is sweet as he really doesn’t need to be. You hope that your smile hides your disappointment.

“Well, I won’t keep you. Enjoy the film!”

You walk towards your friends, who by this point are both staring at you and Frankie, when you hear him call out to you.

“Wait!”

You whip back around, almost tripping over the edge of a blanket. You look expectedly at Frankie, who is holding out your bucket of popcorn.

“Don’t forget this.”

You grin widely at him and go to take the bucket. It takes a moment for you to balance all three popcorns in your arms, but you just about manage it. 

“Thanks! My hero!” You are pretty sure you can hear your friends snorting with laughter behind you. 

“Enjoy the rest of your evening,” Frankie gives you another soft smile, and you don’t say anything, just nod slightly in his direction before quickly joining your friends. You practically dump the popcorn on their laps as you take your seat. Out of the corner of your eye you’re aware of Frankie sitting down a few blankets along from you.

“What was all that about? Who was that guy?”

Your friends are looking at you expectedly, but the film looks like it’s about to start, so you do your best to brush off their questions.

“Oh, nobody, just my parents’ neighbour’s nephew,” you shrug. “I met him a few weeks ago when I was over at theirs.” 

It sounds like such a ridiculous way to describe someone, but that’s really all Frankie is. You glance over in his direction as the film begins to start and watch as he offers his date some popcorn. Are you jealous? You were convinced that you didn’t want to date right now, but suddenly the thought of dating Frankie sounds really appealing and your mood plummets. You are still looking over at him when suddenly you notice his date glance in your direction and say something to Frankie. 

You quickly turn back to face the screen and try to focus on the musical number that’s started. You remind yourself that it’s one of your favourite bits of the film, but all you want to do is turn back towards Frankie. You sneak a glance and now both he and his date are looking in your direction. He’s probably explaining that you’re his aunt’s neighbours’ daughter, and you feel bad when you hope that his date is a little jealous. It’s not her fault that they’ve got a friend in common. 

“Are you ok?” Your friend taps your arm to get your attention.

You try to give a convincing smile. “Of course! Seeing Frankie just reminded me that I need to start thinking about my mom’s birthday, that’s all.” Your friend nods but doesn’t look convinced.

“He seems nice, even if he is just your parents’ neighbour’s nephew.”

“Yeah, he is. Made his aunt a lovely shed,” you murmur, trying to focus on the film again. You allow yourself one more glance over in Frankie’s direction. His date is watching the film, but his eyes are on yours, and you can’t bring yourself to look away. 

Stop it, you tell yourself. He’s on a date, and you’re probably making things weird for him. You drag your attention back to Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, and make a point of not taking your eyes off the screen for the rest of the film. 

When the film finishes, you and friends start to pack up the leftover food, and you roll your eyes at the thought that you probably didn’t need to buy the popcorn after all. As you follow your friends towards the park exit, you can’t help but notice that Frankie and his date are nowhere to be seen.


	3. Four months later

Turns out that you can’t watch a Ryan Gosling film without thinking about Frankie.

You don’t know why he keeps creeping back into your thoughts like this. He was on a date the last time you saw him, but for some reason both he and Gosling are now intertwined in your brain. It’s not like you haven’t tried to go on a date yourself in recent months. You let your friend set you up with someone (hey, if a friend of a friend worked for Frankie, why not?), but it fizzled out after two or three dates. You can’t even remember how many dates you went on with the guy, it was that memorable. It wasn’t the guy’s fault, he was perfectly nice. But you didn’t want nice, you wanted Frankie, and it was just your luck that you only came to that conclusion just as he was on a date with someone else.

But it has been months since you last saw him, and you keep telling yourself that the New Year is the perfect time to get back into dating properly again. But then you make the mistake of watching Blade Runner 2049.

It is a week before Christmas and you are over at your parents. You had been out Christmas shopping with your mom and had stayed for dinner, and the three of you are now settling down to watch a film. It is your dad’s choice, much to your mom’s annoyance.

“You know I don’t enjoy sci-fi, Derek,” Your mom huffs as soon as the film starts.

“It’s a classic,” He argues. You decide not to take sides, you’ve learnt that it’s easier if they just get their bickering over with. 

“The original is a classic, this was only out a few years ago!” 

“You like Harrison Ford,” Your dad argues. He’s not wrong about that.

“That’s not Harrison Ford,” Your mom gestures to the screen.

“Yes, I know that isn’t Harrison Ford, that’s Ryan Gosling,” Your dad explains. 

Your mom starts to think out loud, trying to work out what she’s seen Ryan Gosling in before, but you’re no longer paying attention because BAM, Frankie is back in your brain again. You can’t help but think about the last time you saw him, both looking at each other across the park with the film on in the background. There was something between you, wasn’t there? Or were you just making it up? Did he think about you whenever he saw Ryan Gosling? Or was he four months into a relationship with the friend of a friend he was with that evening? 

You tried to concentrate on following the plot of the film, without much success. 

Being at your parents wasn’t helping. You might have stopped trying to spot Frankie visiting his aunt next door, but that didn’t mean you weren't listening out for any mention of her by your parents that might hint at where he might be. 

Of course, your mom isn't very subtle.

“Haven’t seen Pauletta’s nephew recently,” she comments, clearly not interested in the film until Harrison Ford makes his appearance. 

You shake your head, not making eye contact. You knew what she was trying to do. “Nope, me neither.”

“What do you mean?” Your dad turns away from the screen, annoyed at the interruption. “I saw him earlier today, he was putting up some Christmas lights next door. Along the front of the house and on that precious shed you keep banging on about.”

You try not to make any sudden movements. Frankie was next door? 

“I made one comment about how fine a piece of craftsmanship it is and you’ve taken offence!”

“One comment! You mention it every time you need something out of our shed!”

“Only because ours is falling apart!” 

Blade Runner 2049 has clearly been forgotten about, and you can’t sit here listening to them any longer. You stand up suddenly.

“I’m going out for a walk,” you announce. Both parents look at you.

“Now?! But we’re not even halfway through the film!” Your dad looks to your mom, but she doesn’t say anything.

“I’ve seen it before, fancy some fresh air instead,” You make your way to the hall and scramble to put on your boots.

“But…”

“Say hello to Frankie for us!” you mom shouts, and you don’t even try to hide your grin when you pop your head back in the living room.

“See you later!” 

Your dad is still confused. “Frankie? I don’t understand. I thought she was going for a walk?” 

You leave the house before you can hear your mom’s response. You’re pretty sure it will involve her telling your dad how handsome Frankie is. 

Once outside, you suddenly realise how ridiculous this is. He might not be next door anymore. And even if he is, he might not want to see you. You force that thought out of your head as you make the short walk next door. At least this way you’ll know that you’ve tried to address whatever this thing is between you. It’s unlike you to get this hung up on a guy you’ve barely spoken to, and really, you think, what is the worst that could happen?

You knock on the door, and it feels like forever until it opens. But then it does and Frankie’s standing in front of you, and you realise you have no idea what you’re going to say to him. Good luck, brain.

“My dad said you’ve put lights on the shed.”

Great job, brain.

Frankie looks at you for a second before chuckling slightly.

“You’re a bit odd, you know that? Every time I see you, you’re always talking about that shed I built.”

You force yourself to laugh too. “I know! I’m turning into my mother!” 

He looks confused, and you shake your head.

“Never mind,” you mutter.

“WHO’S AT THE DOOR, FRANCISCO?” His aunt shouts from inside.

“It’s your neighbour’s daughter. She was admiring your shed!” he shouts back, grinning at you.

You roll your eyes.

“WELL TELL HER TO EITHER COME INSIDE OR YOU GO OUT THERE, YOU’RE LETTING A DRAFT IN!”

You both speak at the same time. 

“You could come in---”

“Do you want to go for a walk—”

Frankie nods. “Let me get some shoes on.”

He goes back inside and you hear him tell his aunt that he’s going out for a bit. You can’t help but giggle when she reminds him to wear his hat and scarf, and it’s even more adorable when he appears at the door again with both hat and scarf securely in place. 

He closes the door behind him and looks at you expectedly. 

“So, a walk? Anywhere in particular?”

Again, you hadn’t really thought this part through. You both stand in his aunt’s driveway for a few seconds before you suggest going to one of the two local bars near here. 

“I’m sure it will be packed this close to Christmas but at least it will be warm?” 

He nods. “Sounds good. Lead the way!” 

Clearly neither of you excel at small talk. Before you can think of something potentially awkward or embarrassing to say, Frankie breaks the silence. 

“I'm curious, what made you ask me to go on a walk with you? I didn’t even realise that you were at your parents.”

Wait, did that mean he looked out for you whenever he was at his aunt’s? You shake that thought from your head.

“My dad mentioned that he saw you put up the lights earlier,” You explain. “Figured I would see if you wanted to hang out rather than me having to put up with my dad try to explain the plot of Blade Runner 2049 to my mom.”

“Oh, I haven’t seen that one yet.” 

“It’s alright, it’s got Ryan Gosling in it.”

Frankie’s quiet for a second and you aren’t sure if he got the subtle reference, until he turns to smirk at you.

“Well, since you know I’m such a fan.”

Ok, not so subtle. You’re definitely turning into your mother. 

You grin at him, secretly pleased that he at least remembers the film that was playing last time you saw one another. 

“So, you enjoyed La La Land then?”

“Erm, yeah, it was alright. If I’m honest, it wasn’t the most memorable part of that evening though.”

Your heart starts racing but you decide to play it cool.

“Your date went well then?” You’re impressed with how aloof you sound.

Frankie grimaces. “Not so much. She, uh, thought I was a bit distracted. And not by Ryan Gosling.”

“Oh, really?” You can feel yourself start to sound less cool.

“Yeah, I couldn’t really stop thinking about my aunt’s neighbour’s daughter who I saw that evening.”

You’re pretty sure you’re full-on blushing now.

“Oh, ok.”

Frankie smiles at you. “So I was glad when she asked me to go for a walk tonight. Even if she is a little odd.”

You let out a loud laugh, and cringe.

“Well, then, erm, I’m glad I knocked on your door.”

Yeah, all traces of coolness have just left the building.

You and Frankie fall into silence again, but it’s more comfortable than before. You arrive at the bar before you can think too much about what he’s just said. As predicated, the place is packed, but you manage to order yourselves a couple of drinks and find an empty corner to lean against. 

“So, what are your plans for the holidays? Are you spending them with your aunt?” You ask, trying not to think about how close you have to lean towards one another in order to hear each other over the loud Christmas music. 

“No, I’m actually heading out of town tomorrow to see some friends. One of them has a cabin a little off the beaten trail that we go to every once in a while.”

“And you’re spending Christmas there?”

Frankie nods. “Yeah, that’s the plan. We were in the Special Forces together and some stuff happened recently, actually not long after I last saw you. I’d rather not get into it but let’s just say I’m not really in the mood for a big family Christmas.”

Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree starts playing loudly and you grimace.

“And yet you let me drag you to a bar full of Christmas cheer! I’m sorry if this isn’t what you felt like tonight.”

Frankie quickly shakes his head. “Oh no, please don’t apologise. When I was trying my best to act all smooth earlier, I meant what I said. I’m glad you asked me to go for a walk tonight.”

You smile softly at him.

“Ok, well I feel less bad then.”

“Good, cos I really did want to see you again, after that time in the park. But like I said, some stuff---”

“happened that you don’t want to talk about” You finished. “I’m sorry, we should change the subject.”

Frankie reaches out and touches your hand gently. 

“Please stop apologising. I meant that I was out of the country, or else I would have tried to see you again.”

All you can think about is how much you like Frankie touching your hand. You smile at him. 

“Then you should thank my dad for telling me that he saw you hanging those lights.”

“I’ll tell him the next time I see him.” He gives you that soft smile that you remember how much you like, and it takes a lot of effort to not make a joke about your dad and the shed to hide how fast your heart is racing. 

Frankie asks about your plans for Christmas and soon you’re making him laugh with stories of your parents’ disastrous attempts at cooking Christmas dinner for twelve members of your family last year. You both have a couple more drinks before you notice the time and suggest you should be heading back.

The bar is slightly less crowded now, but you still need to push past people to get to the door, and Frankie’s hand brushes up against yours at one point. You can’t help but wonder when you’re going to see him next. He’ll be away for Christmas, but what about New Year? Or after that? He’s made it pretty clear that he’s just as interested in you as you are in him, so what do you have to lose?

You follow him outside and you both start walking back in the direction of your houses. It’s noticeably quiet after the noisy bar and neither of you speak, but the silence is comfortable with just a hint of anticipation of what might come next. You figure you might as well make the first move.

“I’m not sure when you’re planning to be back from your trip, but do you want to hang out again, or go for a walk---”

“or a date?” Frankie quickly interrupts. You're a bit thrown at his abruptness. 

“Erm, yeah, that would be nice!”

He laughs. “Sorry, I was going to try and be smooth again, and ask for your number and if you’d like to go out some time, but it looked like you might beat me to it.”

“Well, I don’t like to wait around for the guy to make the first move.” You tease.

“Noted! I should be back before New Year, we could go out then?”

You beam at him. “That would be lovely.”

The cold on your fingertips is worth it as you exchange numbers. Your parents’ house is in sight when Frankie starts to slow down slightly and reaches out to touch your arm. It’s his turn to look a bit flustered. 

“Listen, uh, I know this might feel like we’re teenagers again, but I would really rather do this without my aunt or your parents seeing.”

“I hope you aren’t going to ask me to sneak you into my bedroom through the window?” You joke but your heart is thumping as he pulls you closer.

“I was just hoping to kiss you.”

“Oh! Ok! And good thinking about not doing this right outside my parent’s house, my mom is probably keeping an---”

The rest of the sentence falls away as Frankie puts his hand against your cheek and brings his lips to yours. It doesn’t take long for the kiss to heat up, and you can’t help the slight groan you make when his tongue pushes against your lips. You open your mouth and the kiss deepens further, and Frankie makes a growl sound that you feel throughout your body. You both pull away, remembering where you are.

“Well, uh, thank you for going for a walk with me.”

“Thank you for inviting me to go for a walk with you.”

You share one more kiss before saying goodnight, promising to call and text until you can see each other again. As you make your way back inside your house, your heart is glowing at the thought of going on a date with Frankie when he’s back in town, and of sharing more kisses, and more than just kisses, with him. Which makes it all the more heart-breaking when you don’t hear from him again.


	4. Ten months later

The rain is battering down as you run from the bus stop to the door of the bar, slipping inside quickly. You’re absolutely soaked, your umbrella doing a great job lying on the kitchen worksurface where you left it, having trusted the weather forecast and not wanting to change bags for one it would fit into. You glance quickly around the bar, before making a beeline for the bathroom. You can’t imagine what your hair must look like.

Ten minutes later and feeling much less like a drowned rat, you’re ordering a large glass of white wine. Some much-needed Dutch courage, you think. You take another glance around the place before turning back to the bartender who’s pouring your glass of wine.

“Do you know where the speed-dating event is happening?”

She glances at you, before pointing to an area of seating that’s in the far corner and up a short flight of stairs.

“They usually hold those kind of events over there. First time speed-dating?” She asks. It must be obvious how nervous you are.

You nod. “Yeah. Signed up a few weeks ago after a particularly boring date, figured why the hell not.”

The bartender grins at you. “Good for you. It always looks like people have fun at them. At least if the guy is boring, you’ve only got three minutes until the next one!” She places your glass of wine in front of you. 

“That’s true.” You pay for your drink and take a large gulp of your wine.

“Ok, wish me luck. Off to meet the love of my life!” you joke. 

The bartender laughs as you swing around and almost smack right into someone. You manage to stop before making actual contact but a small splash of wine hits the front of the person’s denim shirt and you look up.

It’s Frankie.

For a second neither of you say anything and just stare at each other. You haven’t seen him since the end of last year, when you invited him for an impromptu walk and then he kissed you and promised to see you again. And then seemingly fell off the face of the earth. You give him a polite smile.

“Hi, Frankie. Sorry about that,” indicating to the wine on his shirt. “At least it wasn’t red!”

He still doesn’t say anything. You smile at him again and start to move away when he grabs your wrist, as if realising that he hasn’t said anything. 

“Hey, uh, how are you?”

“I’m good, thanks. You?” You try to subtly glance at your watch. You don’t want to miss the start of speed-dating.

“I’m ok. It’s good to see you. Can I, erm, get you a drink?” 

He seems nervous and won’t fully make eye contact with you. 

“Fish, I’m getting thirsty here!” Someone shouts from a nearby table, and Frankie turns to them, indicating that he’ll be there in minute.

“Do you want to join me and Pope?” Frankie asks.

“I can’t, sorry. I have, eh, somewhere to be,” you say apologetically. “Is your nickname Fish?” you add, before you can stop yourself. You really need to be checking in for the speed-dating. There was a whole email reminder about being on time. 

“Uh, yeah, long story. I’m sure he’d love to tell you over a drink?” He gives a hopeful smile, and for a second you’re tempted to give the speed-dating a miss and join him and his friend. It’s obvious he wants to talk to you, and you can’t help but be reminded how sweet he seems.

But then you remember texting him after Christmas about making plans to meet up and being met with complete silence. Time to move on.

“Sorry, I really need to go,” you say firmly. “Speed-dating awaits!”

You start to head to the far corner of the bar where the event was taking place.

“Wait, you’re going speed-dating?”

Something about the surprise in Frankie’s voice rubs you up the wrong way and you turn back to him sharply.

“Yes, I am. Thought I’d spend the evening in the company of some guys who actually want to spend time with me.” Your tone is harsh and he visibly flinches. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Are you serious?” you scoff. “Do you not remember the last time we went for a drink?” 

You suddenly realise how loud your voice is and lower it slightly. “You seemed awfully keen to go out after that drink, but then I distinctly recall you pretty much ghosting me ever since! I’m not interested, sorry.”

You go to walk away again but Frankie steps closer to you.

“Wait, I’m the one who should be sorry. Please let me explain.” He looks sincere but you force yourself to step away from him.

“Sorry, Frankie, I really need to go. Have a nice evening.”

The next few minutes go by in a blur as you sign in for speed-dating. You try not to think about Frankie as you’re directed to an empty table for two, wearing a sticker with your name on it and a scoresheet and pen in your hand. Let the fun begin, you think. 

You can’t see the rest of the bar from where you are sitting and you do your best not to turn around as the speed-dating organiser is explaining how the evening is going to work. You can’t believe that you ran into Frankie again. When you initially hadn’t heard from him after texting him a few days after Christmas, you were genuinely worried and had knocked on his aunt’s door to check if he was alright. Pauletta had been vague, saying that he was going through a bit of a tough time but was with his friends and that you shouldn’t worry. She didn’t have any plans to see him herself but was certain that he’d be in touch again. It was obvious to her that he was fond of you. 

Yeah, you think bitterly, so fond of me that I wasn’t even worth a simple ‘sorry, not interested’ text. Suddenly you realise that a guy is now sitting opposite you and is looking slightly alarmed at the scowl on your face. You quickly smile at him.

“Oh, hi! Have we started yet?” you ask.

He shakes his head as the organiser rings a bell. “Now we have.” 

He introduces himself and you do the same. “So, first time speed-dating?” he asks.

“Is it that obvious?!” you joke. You both laugh awkwardly, before you lean closer to him slightly.

“Can I ask you a favour? Is there a man over by the bar, looking over this way? Handsome in a kind of scruffy way, wearing a denim shirt and a permanent pout on his face?”

Your date looks confused. “What?”

“I’m not sure if he would have left and I don’t want to turn around myself to check,” you explain.

“Wait, is he your boyfriend? Or your ex?”

You slump back in your seat. “No, he’s neither of those things. Just my parents’ neighbour’s nephew.”

The guy opposite just looks at you oddly. 

“So, what are your interests?” he asks, somewhat half-heartedly. It’s clear he can tell that you’re slightly distracted. 

Before you can answer, the bell rings and the organiser announces that it’s time for all the men to move to the next table. 

“It was nice to talk to you,” your date says, somewhat sarcastically. 

You give him a slight wave as he leaves. You glance down at the scoresheet you’re meant to fill out after each date and realise you can’t even remember the guy’s name. 

You groan. 

Who were you kidding. Bumping into Frankie had completely thrown you and despite what you might have said to him, your heart was no longer in speed-dating. You might as well just write ‘not Frankie’ against each guy’s name on the scoresheet if you were being honest with yourself. You are wondering how easy it would be for you to leave when the next guy sits down at the table. You look up and are pleasantly surprised by how good-looking he is. A completely different kind of good-looking to Frankie, but you force that thought out of your head and give New Guy your complete attention.

“Hi, how are you?” you say brightly. You might as well try to have a good time.

New Guy gives a smug smile in reply. “Listen, I’m not really interested in small talk. So how about the two of us get to know each other a bit better more privately?”

You groan. So much for trying.

After New Guy, you spend the next hour only half-interested in each man who sits opposite you. You breathe a sigh of relief when the organiser announces that there will be a twenty minute break before the next date, and the guy you’ve been making painful small talk to doesn’t even say goodbye as he gets up from the table. You’re about to stand up yourself, either to leave or get another drink, you haven’t quite decided, when Frankie suddenly sits down opposite you.

“Hey, can we talk?”

“Eh, what are you doing? I don’t think you can just join in, these guys have paid good money for my time.”

He raises his eyebrows, and you realise what that sounds like.

“Not like that,” you quickly shake your head. “But seriously, what are you doing here? You can’t keep abandoning your friend.”

“He left a while ago. Said I was too distracted and should just talk to you.”

“Well, if it’s not obvious, I’m kind of in the middle of speed-dating. It’s not a great time for us to talk.” You ignore the fact that you’ve been just as distracted as he has.

“Oh, yeah, how’s it going?” Frankie gestures to your scoresheet. “Pick up any good guys?”

You roll your eyes. “Don’t be a dick about it.”

He’s quiet for a minute. “I just want to explain what happened at Christmas, that’s all. Then I’ll leave.”

“Fine.” You indicate for him to start talking. “I’m all ears.”

He takes a deep breath. “Ok, so you know I told you that some bad stuff had happened last year?” 

You nod.

“Well, it was one of my Spec Ops team-mates, one of my close friends. He died, and it kind of messed me up.”

You lean forward to take Frankie’s hand. “I’m really sorry to hear about that. But you shouldn’t feel ashamed by how grief affected you.”

“It wasn’t just that. I was there when he died, so were my other friends. We were away on a, erm, trip out of the country and shit happened, and we were all involved. And it messed us up.”

You don’t say anything but keep holding his hand. 

“I’m not proud of what happened over there, but also what I did when I got back. It was as if I needed to find any way possible to forget about it, you know?”

You nod. “Have you thought about trying therapy of some kind?”

Frankie shifts in his seat. “My aunt wanted me to go, but I didn’t like talking about what happened. Pushing the thoughts away seemed easier.”

He takes his free hand and places it over yours. 

“When I saw you at Christmas, I was doing better. I had an appointment with a therapist in the New Year, and I was excited about seeing you again.” He smiles softly at you and you blush.

“I was excited about seeing you too, Frankie. And you could have told me all this.”

Frankie takes a moment before saying anything. “I know, and I planned to. But when I was away over Christmas with my buddies I kind of lost focus again. It was the first time we had all been together since it happened, and I thought it would have been a good thing, a celebration of our friend, you know? But it just turned into who was to blame, and I just had to get out of there.” 

He looks down at the table before continuing. “I couldn’t face coming back and you seeing me when I was like that. You deserved better. And the longer I stayed away from you, the harder it was to come back.”

“Oh, Frankie.” You’re aware of the organiser announcing that speed-dating will be resuming shortly, but you ignore it and continue to hold Frankie’s hand. You don’t know what to say to him, but you know you can’t leave it like this.

“Look I know that you’re probably not interested anymore, but do you think maybe we could see each other again?” he asks quietly. “I’m actually going to therapy now, and Pope’s been helping me with stuff. And I’d really like to see you.”

Before you can answer, you hear a loud cough. A man is standing next to Frankie, looking disgruntled.

“Excuse me, but I think you’re in my seat. I’m starting at table 12.” He gestures to the number on the table.

Frankie doesn’t look away from you.

You smile at the man. “Just give us a minute, please.”

He sighs loudly and stares at Frankie. “Have you even paid for this? You’re not even wearing a name badge.”

“Listen, I’m just talking to my friend---” you start, but Frankie stands up.

“It’s fine, I was just about to go anyway.” He turns to you. “Thanks for listening, I, erm, have a nice rest of the night.”

Before you can say anything, Frankie is walking off and the man immediately sits down in the empty chair. “I apologise for interrupting you and your friend, but the break was over and the rules very clearly state that I am to have 3 minutes with each date and ----”

“Please be quiet!” you interrupt. 

The man looks shocked. “Excuse me?”

You glare at him. “I need to think, ok? Just give me a minute.”

He scoffs. “Well, I don’t think this is going to be a match made in heaven, but we’ll just have to see what we can do with the time we’ve got---”

You stand up suddenly. You don’t want to waste another second longer on this man when Frankie is probably halfway down the street by now. 

“Then I guess we’ll never know what this could be. Bye!” you say loudly, grabbing your coat and bag and ripping your name badge off before marching towards the door. 

The organiser tries to catch your attention as you leave, but your focus is on catching up with Frankie. You’ve no idea if this is completely foolhardy but you don’t care. All you can think about is the look on his face when he asked if he could see you again and how much you wanted that to happen. 

The rain is still pouring down outside and you’re not wearing your coat, but you think you can see Frankie further down the street so you start to run. Or at least as much of a run as you can manage in these heels. 

“Frankie! Wait!”

He turns around and walks back towards you, and you’re suddenly aware of how much of a cliché this must look. Chasing after a guy in the pouring rain? You laugh, and Frankie looks at your strangely.

“What are you doing? I thought you were speed-dating? That guy seemed like quite a catch---”

“Speed-dating sucked! All I could think about the whole evening was you, which is really annoying as I paid $40 for tonight and clearly made an effort,” You gesture at your rain-soaked outfit. “And you really hurt my feelings when you didn’t call, but I get that you were going through some stuff. Just next time, please tell me about it? I want to help. And despite everything I do want to see you again.”

A hopeful smile lights up Frankie’s face. “Yeah?”

You nod. “Yes.”

He beams at you. “Ok. But can we get out of the rain? You must be freezing. My car’s just over there.”

A ridiculous thought pops in your head and you grab Frankie’s arm before he can move. “Wait! Can you just kiss me now? I’ve just ran after you in the rain and made that big speech and it kind of feels right for the moment, you know?”

Frankie laughs but pulls you towards him. “You are a bit odd, you know that?”

“I’m hoping it comes across as charming?”

“It’s adorable.” 

Before you can say anything, Frankie leans in to kiss you, and you immediately return the kiss, bringing your arms around his neck as he wraps his around your waist, pulling you flush against his body. Someone in the street catcalls, but you both ignore it. 

You break off the kiss. “Ok, rom-com moment over, now I’m just cold and wet.”

Frankie laughs. 

“Come on, Cinderella, your carriage awaits.” He takes hold of your hand and you both start walking quickly towards his car. 

Once inside the vehicle, you start shivering. Frankie grabs a blanket from the back seat and you wrap it around yourself. 

“Thanks.”

You both seem shy all of a sudden.

Frankie clears his throat. “Let’s get you home and into some dry clothes. Wait, I don’t mean I’ll be getting you into dry clothes, or out of your wet ones, I just mean---”

You giggle as you put your hand on his arm.

“I get it, Frankie. Why don’t you drive me home and we’ll take it from there.”

He nods and leans over to kiss you softly. 

“Sounds good.”

You grin at him as he starts the car and pulls away, feeling ridiculously happy that this thing between you is finally going somewhere. 

THE END


End file.
